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Sat, 01 Aug 2015 04:09:02 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3A Good Read A Good Listen and a Good Drink: Paul Bohakhttp://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/07/31/a-good-read-a-good-listen-and-a-good-drink-paul-bohak/
http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/07/31/a-good-read-a-good-listen-and-a-good-drink-paul-bohak/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 15:55:14 +0000http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/?p=3173It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss. In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire. When I took over the blog a year ago, when April commenced her (now over) hiatus, I put up submission guidelines in which I asked artists to give me their “elevator pitch.” Since then I’ve gotten all flavors, sizes and shapes – some good, some bad, some just there. A week or so ago, Paul … Continue reading

]]>It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

When I took over the blog a year ago, when April commenced her (now over) hiatus, I put up submission guidelines in which I asked artists to give me their “elevator pitch.” Since then I’ve gotten all flavors, sizes and shapes – some good, some bad, some just there.

A week or so ago, Paul Bohak’s submission sailed over the transom, and his pitch was “press play.”

Hmm. I thought. And then, because it was late at night and sometimes I like to live dangerously: All right.

Both records have become music I come back to regularly, to be soothed, and also to cleanse my musical palate.

Before I Lose You is from Vagabond’s Wealth, one of two solo albums he released this year, after over 25 years writing songs, mostly while in bands. It is not the first song I listened to, but it is the first one to sink its hooks into me.

This is Headlights from Saraswati Radio, his first solo album, and the one I want to put on a road trip playlist. It seems perfect for long stretches of interstate broken up only by billboards and fast food billboards glowing in the enveloping darkness.

And with that, I turn the floor over to Paul Bohak, who join us today from Bozeman, Montana, to share a favorite book, record and drink:

A Good Read:

Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl. This is a book I read when I was a kid, but never forgot about. It follows the life of a young boy and his father. They live in an old gypsy carriage type of thing. I think what was so intriguing about it was, not only the shorter stories that are told throughout the larger narrative, but the ability to identify with this boy and his life. I recently bought it again and am looking forward to giving it another read.

A Good Listen:

Know By Heart by The American Analog Set. A friend of mine gave me his old iPod a few years back and it was loaded with a bunch of music I’d never heard. Know By Heart was on there and I immediately dug it. It’s so mellow, the kind of music you can put on at any time. There’s such a great mood that it creates, almost like a kind of soundtrack. So it’s a combination of droning vibe and really great songs, if that makes sense. The Postman, Know By Heart and Aaron & Maria are three of my favorite songs. I’ve listened to this album many, many times since I first heard it and continue to keep it in rotation.

A Good Drink:

Spiffy Cola. Nothing fancy . . . it’s a cola drink that’s been around since 1934. It comes in a glass bottle, which is really the only way to drink a soda, and the label looks like it hasn’t changed since it came out so long ago. I found it mixed in with a bunch of other obscure soda drinks at the grocery store. What more can I say . . . it’s super tasty!

]]>http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/07/31/a-good-read-a-good-listen-and-a-good-drink-paul-bohak/feed/0Video: Hangman Two-Step, Blackwater Jukeboxhttp://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/07/27/video-hangman-two-step-blackwater-jukebox/
http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/07/27/video-hangman-two-step-blackwater-jukebox/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 15:55:55 +0000http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/?p=3171Our friends in Blackwater Jukebox have a couple of new things: a new video, for Hangman Two-Step, which you can watch below, and also a new website. Hangman Two-Step purports to hail from Australia’s Barossa Valley, acquired during an encounter with Lazarous Scamp and the Bear Tribe Boys. I like it because every time I listen to it I remember the first time I heard it: standing on a freezing train platform in Newark, NJ, watching rats scuttle over the tracks, and possessed by a spike of joy of the kind that causes one to do things like abandon pastries and dance in public. As for the video, it is a fine piece of work by Kenji Christopher Green, even if that rope around Geordie’s neck makes me nervous every time the camera pans over it.

I like it because every time I listen to it I remember the first time I heard it: standing on a freezing train platform in Newark, NJ, watching rats scuttle over the tracks, and possessed by a spike of joy of the kind that causes one to do things like abandon pastries and dance in public.

As for the video, it is a fine piece of work by Kenji Christopher Green, even if that rope around Geordie’s neck makes me nervous every time the camera pans over it.

]]>http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/07/12/ought-beautiful-blue-sky/feed/0Feel Bad for You, June 2015http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/06/27/feel-bad-for-you-june-2015/
http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/06/27/feel-bad-for-you-june-2015/#commentsSat, 27 Jun 2015 18:05:17 +0000http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/?p=3160Fine, so it’s nearly July, but this summer-themed mix by the FBFY bedraggled crew of music lovers will be good for a couple of months yet. Drunken comments are encouraged. “Feel Bad for June! Just in time for the first New England heat wave of 2015, and my bum is sticking to my vinyl chair. Ahhh summer! Long hot days, warm breezy nights. Sitting in your overly air conditioned office all day, wishing you were at the lake. Being an adult sucks. Thanks to our main man Phil for the killer artwork!” Download 1. “It Must Be Summer” Fountains of Wayne Utopia Parkway (1999) Submitted By: @philnorman Comments: It must be summer, because I’m falling apart. 2. “This Summer” The Royal Sea The Royal Sea (2011) Submitted By: The Mad Mackerel Comments: The Royal Sea’s album was a particular favourite for us in 2011, although never seemed to get the acclaim we thought it deserved. A beguiling mix of surf rock, garage and indie pop, lead track This Summer opens with a spectacularly catchy drum beat before the vocals of Timmy Sunshine come in like a rush of sugar coated adrenalin, plaintively announcing: We crashed everybody’s parties, we drank cheap … Continue reading

]]>Fine, so it’s nearly July, but this summer-themed mix by the FBFY bedraggled crew of music lovers will be good for a couple of months yet. Drunken comments are encouraged.

“Feel Bad for June! Just in time for the first New England heat wave of 2015, and my bum is sticking to my vinyl chair. Ahhh summer! Long hot days, warm breezy nights. Sitting in your overly air conditioned office all day, wishing you were at the lake. Being an adult sucks.

1. “It Must Be Summer”
Fountains of WayneUtopia Parkway (1999)
Submitted By: @philnorman
Comments: It must be summer, because I’m falling apart.

2. “This Summer”
The Royal SeaThe Royal Sea (2011)
Submitted By: The Mad Mackerel
Comments: The Royal Sea’s album was a particular favourite for us in 2011, although never seemed to get the acclaim we thought it deserved. A beguiling mix of surf rock, garage and indie pop, lead track This Summer opens with a spectacularly catchy drum beat before the vocals of Timmy Sunshine come in like a rush of sugar coated adrenalin, plaintively announcing:

We crashed everybody’s parties,
we drank cheap wine and whiskey.
We partied up on the rooftops,
I’m glad it was just you and me.

One of our favourite songs of that, or any other year, “This Summer” should have been the woozy, feel good hit of that summer.

3. “Acceleration
Drivin’ N’ Cryin’Songs About Cars, Space and The Ramones EP (2012)
Submitted By: @tincanman2010
Comments: My iPod gets a spring cleaning to get ready for road trips. No point trying to listen to delicate little songs with their pretty little lyrics when you’re booking down the highway with windows wide open. Thirty years these Atlanta dudes have been racking up the miles.

4. “Summer’s Kiss”
The Afghan WhigsBlack Love (1996)
Submitted By: hoosier buddy
Comments: I nearly submitted Chuck Prophet’s “Summertime Thing,” but something made me keep looking until I hooked into “Summer’s Kiss.” The intro builds from an almost space jam to a driving, Lindsey Buckingham-style one note guitar solo; then explodes with big drums, bigger guitars, and Dulli. “Do you know the words? Sing along with me; and put on your rose fur coat, baby, it’s 1973.” Demons mess with his head and heart. He wishes he had her back, but admits he is alone. We are all alone.

9. “Summer School”
Liquor GiantsEvery Other Day At A Time (1998)
Submitted By: @toomuchcountry
Comments: I was ready to listen to this band when their first album was released. Ward Dotson fronted the Liquor Giants, and I was a fan of his previous band, The Pontiac Brothers.

10. “Your Frown’s My Friend”
Greg SummerlinThe Young Meteors (2005)
Submitted By: @toomuchcountry
Comments: OK, so it’s not a song ABOUT summer. But it’s still a pretty kickin song by someone WITH summer in his name.

16. “Long Hot Summer Days”
Turnpike TroubadorsDiamonds and Gasoline (2010)
Submitted By: @Rockstar_Aimz
Comments: Fantastic John Hartford cover. Can’t wait for their new album to be released this coming fall.

17. “You Keep Me Hanging On”
Vanilla FudgeVanilla Fudge (1966)
Submitted By: @PopaTunes
Comments: While there are plenty of newer summer songs, summer takes me back to my youth, spinning records on a portable record player in the woods in the mountains, sharing new music with my summer friends. This one was a staple summer after summer. One I remember most though is Archie Bell and the Drells tighten up, which is at my kid’s house.

18. “Red Umbrella”
KostarsKlassics with a “K” (1996)
Submitted by: April @ Now This Sound Is Brave
Comments: Not about summer, per se (the lyrics talk about a rainy day, in fact), the vibe of this song by Kostars is summery as fuck. This song from the side project of Jill Cunniff and Vivian Trimble of Luscious Jackson brings to mind the tropicalia sound of classics like “The Girl from Ipanema” and feels like a cool breeze blowing in off the ocean.

19. “Far From Any Road”
The Handsome Family
Singing Bones (2003)
Submitted By: Trailer
Comments: True Detective returns June 21. What better time to recall the haunting theme song from season 1?

20. “Boss”
The RumblersThe Roots Of The Cramps (2009)
Submitted By: @annieTUFF
Comments: I can’t get enough surf music, what says summer more than surf? I love how dirty and gritty this is. The whole comp “Roots Of The Cramps” is really great. I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t know how many of the Cramps songs I loved were covers until years later, and it’s fun to check out the originals.

21. “Two Kegs In The Swimming Pool”
Mike KellyWake The Dead (2010)
Submitted By: @RomeoSidVicious
Comments: It’s looking like it’s going to a damp, hot summer here in Houston and I didn’t want to go with the obvious songs complaining about that state of affairs so I dug deep and pulled out this Mike Kelly tune. The summer relation is that there’s obviously a swimming pool involved and for most of the country those are only involved in summer activities. I think plenty of us have lived the night described here, although I’ve never been able to afford two kegs…

22. “Hot Fun In The Summertime”
Sly & The Family StoneGreatest Hits (1970)
Submitted By: Blabber’n’Smoke
Comments: Reminds me of hot days in the excellent summers of the seventies.

23. “The Warmth of the Sun”
The Beach BoysEndless Summer (1974)
Submitted By: @Rockstar_Aimz
Comments: A little melancholy to end the mix, but what’s a summer mix without the Beach Boys? This song was originally released in 1964.

]]>http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/06/27/feel-bad-for-you-june-2015/feed/0Chill Out, Drown Out: Resplendent, In Vividhttp://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/06/24/chill-out-drown-out-resplendent-in-vivid/
http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/06/24/chill-out-drown-out-resplendent-in-vivid/#commentsWed, 24 Jun 2015 15:55:06 +0000http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/?p=3156Chill Out Drown Out: music for when you need to, well, chill out, and also drown out extraneous noise. Tunes for calming down and concentrating on important tasks or just having a peaceful time in the middle of a hurricane of a day/week/month/year/existence. I occasionally feel bad when my highest recommendation for something is “this is excellent background noise,” but – it is truly one of the finest accolades I can give. It means the music has successfully walked the fine line between “delicate, beautiful, but unobtrusive, integrates well into the process of multi-tasking” and “so boring I forgot the first song half-way through.” Resplendent, by In Vivid (Ben Snook, of Lawrence, KS) is indeed delicate and beautiful. The swirling textures and gently propulsive energy make it – for me, at least – ideal for tasks that require concentration and creativity. And, best of all, it stands up to repetition; I listened to it three times in a row one night last week and never got sick of it. Here are three songs to whet your appetite, chosen at least in part because I liked the titles. Lightswitch Indicator: The second song on the record, this one is for when … Continue reading

]]>Chill Out Drown Out: music for when you need to, well, chill out, and also drown out extraneous noise. Tunes for calming down and concentrating on important tasks or just having a peaceful time in the middle of a hurricane of a day/week/month/year/existence.

I occasionally feel bad when my highest recommendation for something is “this is excellent background noise,” but – it is truly one of the finest accolades I can give. It means the music has successfully walked the fine line between “delicate, beautiful, but unobtrusive, integrates well into the process of multi-tasking” and “so boring I forgot the first song half-way through.”

Resplendent, by In Vivid (Ben Snook, of Lawrence, KS) is indeed delicate and beautiful. The swirling textures and gently propulsive energy make it – for me, at least – ideal for tasks that require concentration and creativity. And, best of all, it stands up to repetition; I listened to it three times in a row one night last week and never got sick of it.

Here are three songs to whet your appetite, chosen at least in part because I liked the titles.

Lightswitch Indicator: The second song on the record, this one is for when your brain is still spinning up. The mix of high and low tones supported by a steady warm background thrum is perfect for when it is way too early but the work must get done.

Some Imagine Caretaker: This one has a steady thud-thud at its heart, surrounded by oscillating bands of other tones. It feels a bit like having a friendly metronome around to prod you out of the sloughs of distraction.

Three Person Pillow: There are vocals, on this one, but they mostly sound like aliens making vaguely familiar encouraging noises. Aliens who have brought their very own extra large pillow for all of you to sit on together while you complete your tasks and they watch with great interest, because they have never seen PowerPoint before and are fascinated.

]]>http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/06/24/chill-out-drown-out-resplendent-in-vivid/feed/0Covers of Note: I Walk The Line, Scott McFarnonhttp://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/06/17/covers-of-note-i-walk-the-line-scott-mcfarnon/
http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/06/17/covers-of-note-i-walk-the-line-scott-mcfarnon/#commentsWed, 17 Jun 2015 15:55:17 +0000http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/?p=3152I Walk the Line is Scott McFarnon‘s interpretation of Johnny Cash’s classic tune and it is, in all seriousness, breathtaking – in a good way. He’s stripped it down and rebuilt into something quiet and melancholy; the eyes that are wide open all the time gaze upon the line in a state of mournful, almost wistful introspection rather than paranoid, hypervigilant bravado. In the video below, McFarnon uses London’s newest park/art experiment, also called The Line, to illustrate his vibe, and it is beautiful.

]]>I Walk the Line is Scott McFarnon‘s interpretation of Johnny Cash’s classic tune and it is, in all seriousness, breathtaking – in a good way. He’s stripped it down and rebuilt into something quiet and melancholy; the eyes that are wide open all the time gaze upon the line in a state of mournful, almost wistful introspection rather than paranoid, hypervigilant bravado.

In the video below, McFarnon uses London’s newest park/art experiment, also called The Line, to illustrate his vibe, and it is beautiful.

]]>http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/06/17/covers-of-note-i-walk-the-line-scott-mcfarnon/feed/0A Tribe Called Red, Suplexhttp://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/05/31/a-tribe-called-red-suplex/
http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/05/31/a-tribe-called-red-suplex/#commentsSun, 31 May 2015 16:49:37 +0000http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/?p=3148No one ever retires permanently anymore, do they? Even dead artists have made returns to the stage. A year into my so-called retirement, I’m feeling antsy and decided I needed to get back into this blog that has given me so much. I won’t be trying to keep to the daily schedule that wore me out the first time, but I’ve got some ideas brewing and thoughts to share. (Plus, there’s a new Wind-up Birds EP coming in the near future.) First off, though, a quick post to share the great news that First Nations DJ/producer crew A Tribe Called Red have a new EP out called Suplex. ATCR continues to combine native song and drum elements with compelling beats for the same heady effect that intoxicated me when I first heard them back in 2012. Fader recently premiered the video for title track “Suplex” (featuring pow wow drum group Northern Voice), described as “a story about native youth, wrestling and becoming a role model without needing the stereotypes.” Suplex is available via the ATCR website, Spotify, and iTunes. (And you can get one of those sweet bandannas as featured in the video at ATCR website.) If you missed their … Continue reading

No one ever retires permanently anymore, do they? Even dead artists have made returns to the stage. A year into my so-called retirement, I’m feeling antsy and decided I needed to get back into this blog that has given me so much. I won’t be trying to keep to the daily schedule that wore me out the first time, but I’ve got some ideas brewing and thoughts to share. (Plus, there’s a new Wind-up Birds EP coming in the near future.)

First off, though, a quick post to share the great news that First Nations DJ/producer crew A Tribe Called Red have a new EP out called Suplex. ATCR continues to combine native song and drum elements with compelling beats for the same heady effect that intoxicated me when I first heard them back in 2012. Fader recently premiered the video for title track “Suplex” (featuring pow wow drum group Northern Voice), described as “a story about native youth, wrestling and becoming a role model without needing the stereotypes.”

Suplex is available via the ATCR website, Spotify, and iTunes. (And you can get one of those sweet bandannas as featured in the video at ATCR website.)

If you missed their massive debut, it’s still available for free, and it’s still well worth your time.

A Tribe Called Red will also be going out on tour starting next month.

]]>http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/05/31/a-tribe-called-red-suplex/feed/0A Good Read A Good Listen and A Good Drink: Oiseaux-Tempêtehttp://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/05/15/a-good-read-a-good-listen-and-a-good-drink-oiseaux-tempete/
http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/05/15/a-good-read-a-good-listen-and-a-good-drink-oiseaux-tempete/#commentsFri, 15 May 2015 15:55:08 +0000http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/?p=3141It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss. In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire. Oiseaux-Tempête, more or less of Paris, are an ever-changing entity. An iteration of the band that includes Frédéric D. Oberland and Stéphane Pigneul (FareWell Poetry and Le Réveil des Tropiques), Ben McConnell (Beach House, FareWell Poetry, Marissa Nadler) and bass clarinet virtuoso Gareth Davis (Elliott Sharp and Robin Rimbaud (aka Scanner)) have just released ÜTOPIYA?, … Continue reading

]]>It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

In Oiseaux-Tempête, the band ventured to Greece to capture the sounds of political upheaval – not protest songs, but the ambient noises, and the sense of menace, the feeling of frustration, boiling over. For ÜTOPIYA? they visited Sicily and Istanbul. The result is a complex and compelling work that mixes jazz elements with bright electronic tones, aggressive, dissonant feedback and the sense that even during seismic change, sometimes people do sit outside and listen to nightbirds singing.

As a taste, here is Omen: Divided We Fall:

And with that, I will turn the floor over to the band, who are joining us today – all four of them, a very special treat – to share a favorite book, record and drink.

OISEAUX-TEMPÊTE, 2015; photo by Pamela Maddaleno

A GOOD READ

FRÉDÉRIC D. OBERLAND: Guy Debord, Oeuvres Cinématographiques Complètes / Complete Cinematic Works. This book came into my hands late 90’s when it was almost impossible to find any of Guy Debord’s films to watch. The goal was fascinating: trying to understand and to enjoy these stunning film-essays just with the film scripts, without the actual image or sound. The narration is transcribed and you can find between the lines an informative depiction of what is happening on the screen and in the speakers. Reading the hopeful melancholy of In Girum Imus Nocte Et Consumimur Igni, I feel this just as much in my bones as in my mind: poetry and social revolution could be so easily related. Both are coming from the same vibrant, primal, essential breath.

STÉPHANE PIGNEUL:Héros-Limite from Ghérasim Luca. I’ve always thought that the best poets are the ones who write in a language different from their mother tongue. Luca as Cioran, is Romanian and was a kind of surrealist despite the fact he was never affiliated to the actual. Although he mastered the French language, he tweaked it in a new way, made to be spoken more than read, in a very musical way. The love for the words, the language, and of course with his famous sense of humour can be felt in every text he wrote. His poems are an excellent source of inspiration for those who want to write too, and be off the beaten track.

GARETH DAVIS: Bohumil Hrabal’s Too Loud A Solitude. I picked this up in Prague the first time I was there. There was an English language bookshop that was a fair walk from where I was staying, but it had the distinct advantage of being one of the few places to accept cards (at that time), a deciding factor as I was leaving on a train that evening to Budapest and had judged my cash supply in koruna down to the last bottle of water before departure. So I trekked over to the shop and picked up what was essentially a random pile of books for the train journeys ahead.

I’m guessing I must have read this five or six times over the following three or so weeks. Without giving too much away, it’s the story of man working 35 years compacting wastepaper and books, a process which has lead him to acquire an education so unwitting he’s unable to tell which thoughts are his own and which come from the books he has rescued from the hydraulic press. It is a novel of such incredible extremes, comedy, pathos, sophistication, sex and violence. An observance of sorts of the indestructibility of the written word.

BEN MCCONNELL: Paul Bowles’ masterpiece, The Sheltering Sky, is a powerful and eerie novel which traces the wanderings of three Americans throughout Morocco and the Sahara Desert following the end of WWII. A sense of unease, or even dread, permeates these characters as they journey deeper and deeper into the vast expanse of the Sahara, tirelessly searching for a sense of meaning or purpose in their lives in a desperate attempt to escape the stifling conventions and stale consumerism of western society.

Plagued by blinding sun, sickness, and thieves, all does not end well for these three; and it could be the ending itself which is this novel’s crowning achievement, taking an unexpected and horrific turn into an even further unknown, more treacherous then they – or us – could have ever imagined.

A GOOD LISTEN

FRÉDÉRIC D. OBERLAND: My instant choice could have been the boxset Claire Denis Film Scores 1996-2009 (Constellation, 2012) from Tindersticks. Five LPs to listen to and to enjoy the way you want when you’re feeling moody. But this Kime Ne’ 12″ (Aboov Plak, 2013) I discovered last summer in Istanbul is a hidden masterpiece to dance to and to make love under the rain. The project is called iNSALAR and includes Cem Yıldız (on vocals, bağlama and electronics), Barış K (on electronics) and Hogır (on percussion and vocal percussion). The lyrics are adapted from poems by 17th century Turkish poet musician Kul Nesimi (Ben Melamet Hirkasini) and 16th century icon Pir Sultan Abdal (Otme Bulbul). Play it loud and look at the way you’re shaking the head. Yes, Side A and B are exactly the same, and now you know why.

STÉPHANE PIGNEUL:Carnage Visors: The Cure. My choice at the moment if you ask, in part because I just borrowed the fantastic drum machine DR-55 from a friend, and that track was written with it. It’s the longest track Smith ever put on tape, something like 28 minutes, instrumental, minimal, a bit dark but super warm in the sound. Also the structure is something really smart, just as Smith always does with guitars. He composed it on bass, starting the harmony in E going through A and D then finishing in G, which are the open strings of a bass . . . A super intelligent approach, indeed.

It was proposed for a 30 minutes stop motion film the brother of the bass player did, and was projected before the 1981-shows they used to do. Only 30 seconds of this film can be found on the internet, kind of mysterious, after all these years and the power of the web . . . A kind of myth in The Cure sphere! Again, a super source of inspiration for those who want to make music. At least it has worked for me since I’m 15 . . . !

GARETH DAVIS:Erewhon, the debut record from David Thomas and the Two Pale Boys (Cooking Vinyl, 1996). In the 90s in London the choices for TV were, in most cases, still either four channels or a satellite dish. And then came cable. The introduction was a somewhat sporadic affair, and how many extra channels this meant become immediately available, I don’t remember. Only two have stuck in my mind from the first batch. One that was called Bravo on which I watched 1930s episodes of Flash Gordon with my father, and the other, MTV, back when they still actually played music.

There was a show called Alternative Nation on Sunday evenings and somewhere between the Tindersticks and a feature on The Crow soundtrack came this David Thomas live set. It must have taken around two months to track down the CD, a job made considerably more difficult as I’d not quite heard the name properly and didn’t know what the album was called. After 20 years I’m still constantly going back to this album. For anyone acquainted with Pere Ubu, it’s not going to be all that surprising a piece of work, but there’s also something, I think, a little different. A kind of urgency, unsurprising as there’s a lot of improvisation, yet at the same time somehow managing to remain decidedly laid back. There’s a live album which was part of the Monster (Cooking Vinyl, 1997) box set, alas not available when it was reissued in 2004. Absolutely excellent material if it’s possible to find, and definitely worth the trouble to look for.

BEN MCCONNELL: Orchestre Régional de Kayes, The Best of The First Biennale of Arts and Culture For The Young (1970). I discovered this amazing gem through a limited repressing by Mississippi Records a few years back, which was later yanked from the shelves following a legal dispute with the band itself (apparently they had not been notified of its reissue). But in any case, from what I know of this recording, it comes from northern Mali, near the Senagalese border, where every year, or every two years, a type of battle-of-the-bands would occur, and this particular recording came about after the groups’ victory. It also happens to be their only recording, and has never been properly reissued on cd or vinyl, although thankfully it can be found as as a download online.

I played this for Jimmy Page one evening, and he came back to see me then next day to ask me what the name of the group was – he’d been thinking of the guitar solo in Sanjina ever since. And the guitar solo in Sanjina is a perfect example of why I chose this album to accompany the above novel: the syncopated rhythms and crisp guitar tones, to my ears, depict the feeling of the African desert at night, and even sometimes, in a moment of near synesthesia, seem to resemble the silvery shimmering of stars upon the infinite night sky.

A GOOD DRINK

FRÉDÉRIC D. OBERLAND:Michel Couvreur, 12 Year Overaged Malt. Some French whisky, sorry guys! Since 1978 Michel Couvreur imports Scotch whiskies to his facilities in Burgundy, France, where they undergo a slow aging process in Spanish sherry, French burgundy or vin jaune dedicated casks. A dry, smoky and slightly sweet spirit, aromas of almond, tobacco, a generous and spicy palate which apparently remains in the old Victorian whiskies. A friend of mine first offered me a bottle of this rare elixir 15 years ago – did I say the design of the bottle itself hand-sealed with wax and with the label placed around the corner of the square is exquisite? In a quasi-religious way, I kept this first bottle three years in a secret place, tasting only three sips of this Malt with a 99% dark chocolate square. Now I’m more mature and I love to share it. Sometimes!

STÉPHANE PIGNEUL: Un Réveil des Tropiques: a cocktail I created or maybe stole ! As a barman, I used to sell a lot of drinks in the bar. We have this other project with Frédéric and the DR-55 guy – Ad – called Le Réveil des Tropiques. It’s the cocktail I offered the most. Basically, it’s a mojito in which you replace the sparkling water with ginger and brown sugar! Half a glass of rum and mint, lime and the secret ginger, that you have to squeeze yourself of course. Really explosive one, tasty , once you tried it, you want an another one, and another one, and another one and . . .

GARETH DAVIS: I’ve got a thing about coffee. More precisely, espresso. Addiction would be another way of putting it, but perhaps calling it a thing and proving I’m in denial is the way to go. Frédéric told me I drunk all his coffee last time I was in Paris. I was looking for someone else to blame, but it’s not working, so I’ll probably need just bite the bullet and accept it.

Narrowing it down to one particular bean or roast I can’t do, particularly as there seem to be new roasters every other week, but I have noticed there there are a few blends I keep coming back to. Hair Bender from Stumptown seems to get on well with my machine, a rather temperamental lever action Pavoni, although it could just be that I like the name. Ed from Caffènation is another blend I’ve been using a fair bit recently and, to be honest, also the dark roast from my local supermarket which I’m probably not meant to admit out loud, but it’s really pretty good, so I can live with that.

BEN MCCONNELL: In The Sheltering Sky, a story is told of three sisters who journey to the Sahara, following their dream of having tea together while overlooking the sea of dunes, and vaguely hoping to find the handsome and mysterious stranger who had once visited the sisters’ village and made love to all three of them. The sisters join a caravan which bivouacs under the full moon, then sneak out from camp to find the highest dune from which to have their tea.

The sisters reach the highest, then see another, higher, in the distance; then another, higher; and wander on continually until they collapse from exhaustion and are later discovered where they lay, atop a dune, their glasses filled with sand.

Sting wrote the lyrics to Tea In The Sahara based on this episode. And if I were to recommend a painting to round out this presentation, it would be Henri Rousseau’s la Bohémienne Endormie (or, Sleeping Gypsy) …

Boil at least a liter of water. Rinse a small tea pot with about 1/4 cup of the water.

Add the tea leaves and another 1/4 cup boiling water. Swirl the pot to wash and rinse the leaves, and pour out the water.

Add the mint leaves and the sugar, and fill the pot with 1/2 liter (about 2 cups) boiling water. Leave the tea to steep for five minutes or longer, or set the tea pot over medium-low heat and bring the tea to a simmer. Remove from the heat, and allow to steep several minutes more.

Gently stir the tea, pour into small tea glasses and serve. It might be worth adding that Moroccans take pride in pouring their tea from a significant height, which aside from being visually impressive, serves to aerate the tea and heighten the flavor.

]]>http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/05/15/a-good-read-a-good-listen-and-a-good-drink-oiseaux-tempete/feed/0Canadian Music Week: Two Songs From: Alex Lamoureuxhttp://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/05/10/canadian-music-week-two-songs-from-alex-lamoureux/
http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/05/10/canadian-music-week-two-songs-from-alex-lamoureux/#commentsMon, 11 May 2015 03:13:52 +0000http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/?p=3139Alex Lamoureux is from Manitoba, and was ranked in the top 10 at the Grand Master Fiddle Championships in 2008-2009. Watch these videos, and you’ll see why. By himself, with Old Reel of Eight, Métis style, at the Manitoba Fiddle Association Championships in 2012: At the Manitoba Fiddle Association Championships, and joined by his mother, three-time Grand Master Fiddling Champion Patti Kusturok, also in 2012: For more recent activity, check out Kusturok’s YouTube page, where she’s doing a series entitled 365 Days of Fiddle Tunes.

]]>http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/05/10/canadian-music-week-two-songs-from-alex-lamoureux/feed/0Canadian Music Week: Two Songs From: Brock Zemanhttp://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/05/09/canadian-music-week-two-songs-from-brock-zeman/
http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2015/05/09/canadian-music-week-two-songs-from-brock-zeman/#commentsSun, 10 May 2015 01:43:15 +0000http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/?p=3133Brock Zeman, singer/songwriter, is from Ottawa, Ontario, and plays indie rock with country-folk undertones. He recently released his 11th record (!), Pulling Your Sword Out of the Devil’s Back. The title track is more spoken word poetry with music involved than a song. It’s meta-commentary on the art and science and struggle of songwriting and broken hearts and stories that don’t belong to you don’t belong to you and that won’t go away. You won’t be able to sing along, he says, as he rolls to a crescendo, which is true. Still, if I had a car and oceans of prairie to get across, I think I would start my driving playlist with it, just for the satisfying rhythms and final, thundering stop. Little Details, on the other hand, is, for lack of a better term, a rollicking break-up song, and you definitely can sing along:

Brock Zeman, singer/songwriter, is from Ottawa, Ontario, and plays indie rock with country-folk undertones. He recently released his 11th record (!), Pulling Your Sword Out of the Devil’s Back.

The title track is more spoken word poetry with music involved than a song. It’s meta-commentary on the art and science and struggle of songwriting and broken hearts and stories that don’t belong to you don’t belong to you and that won’t go away. You won’t be able to sing along, he says, as he rolls to a crescendo, which is true. Still, if I had a car and oceans of prairie to get across, I think I would start my driving playlist with it, just for the satisfying rhythms and final, thundering stop.

Little Details, on the other hand, is, for lack of a better term, a rollicking break-up song, and you definitely can sing along: